I land in Heathrow to grey skies, pissing rain and the dour expression on English faces. It is good to be home. I am in London for a quick pit-stop, just long enough to catch my breath and meet with friends, family and ex-colleagues. I also take the opportunity to swap out some gear as I prepare for the next leg of my travels into South Asia.

My friend SS puts in a good word with her friends DN/AK, and by their grace I have somewhere to rest during my one month stay. I try my best to make myself useful around the house but it's little recompense for staying rent-free in one of the world's most expensive cities.

In the month that I spend here, I see more rain than I have in the entirety of my five months abroad. And yet I find the weather's inclemency oddly comforting; its familiarity reassuring. Walking the streets of London visiting my old haunts, I am reminded how truly world class and cosmopolitan this city is, a feeling only reinforced by my long absence. There's a sophistication to this place and its people that is absent everywhere else I've visited on this journey, and though the pomposity that such sophistication engenders can sometimes grate, London is a place of unsurpassed richness and undeniable eminence amongst the cities of the world. As Samuel Johnson once said "when a man tires of London, he tires of life."

Seeing friends again after such an extended period is a joy and also a revelation. I had decided to put my life on hold, but everyone else had carried on with theirs; and as with all things, life goes on, things happen and people change. Most seem happier, others less so, but all have been touched by change, however subtly. However, the biggest difference I notice is in myself -something I could only recognize when re-immersed in my old life. Things that used to matter no longer do, and what I used to want doesn't hold the same appeal. Extended travel seems to have that effect, bringing a change in perspective that forces an examination of one's life and the approach to it. I still haven't uncovered The Answer, but this is a ruminant journey, and I've still got five months.

A quick word of thanks to DN/AK for making me feel welcome in their home (and SS for the good word), DG for making his already limited storage space available to me, and to all my friends and family whose shared company was my pleasure.

Off to meet my parents in Nepal!

The bustling Oxford street at sunset

By Green Park Station in Mayfair

Despite receiving a make-over during its pedestrianization, China Town is still as gritty as ever

The trendy SS on her way our way to visit a friend for lunch. Public transit is the way to go

I love walking the streets at night in this city. There's always so much going on and each place has its own vibe. This was taken in the theater district on the way back to Peckham

The magnificent St. Paul's Cathedral

Taken during the London's Open House, this volunteer had on a cheery "I'm Here to Help!" button that was in stark contrast to his demeanor. Annoyingly I didn't include the button in the photo

I was having a coffee and reading my book when this gentleman came in. We got to chatting and he turned out to be quite an interesting man: American by birth, professor in Berlin, musician and writer. He even improvised a song in the middle of the street for me!